Apple Has To Pay C$19B In Back Taxes To Ireland In EU Ruling

BRUSSELS — Apple has to pay up to 13 billion euros (US$14.5 billion) — plus billions more in interest — in back taxes to Ireland after the European Union found Tuesday that the U.S. technology giant contributed almost no tax across the bloc's 28 countries for 11 years.

The ruling is a dramatic escalation by the EU executive Commission in its battle to have multinationals pay their fair share in the region, where popular outrage over corporate tax dodging has grown after years of financial crises and austerity budgets.

It also risks enflaming tensions with the U.S., which argues the EU is picking on American companies and depriving it of potential tax windfalls of its own.

At the heart of the matter is the EU's claim that many multinationals — including Amazon and McDonalds — struck deals with EU countries to pay unusually low tax in exchange for basing their EU operations there.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager talks as she gives a press conference to order Apple to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes in Brussels on August 30, 2016. (Photo: JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images)

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said that a three-year investigation found Ireland granted such lavish tax breaks to Apple that the multinational's effective corporate tax rate on its European profits dropped from 1 per cent in 2003 to a mere 0.005 per cent in 2014.

That last tax rate meant that for each one million euros in profits, Apple paid just 50 euros in taxes, Vestager told a news conference.

"Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies — this is illegal under EU state aid rules,'' Vestager said.

For Ireland, a country of barely 4.6 million people, the sum to be recovered would be a huge windfall — equivalent to over 2,800 euros ($3,150) for every man, woman and child.

And yet the government said it would appeal the decision, arguing it had granted no favourable treatment to Apple.

Ireland has long offered multinationals big tax breaks

Ireland has for years offered low corporate tax rates to multinationals, a common strategy among Europe's smaller nations, including Luxembourg and Holland.

Because the countries are small, they gain from even small amounts of tax on multinationals' huge revenues. They also benefit from the jobs created locally. Apple has 5,500 workers in Ireland, making it one of the biggest private-sector employers.

The Irish government insisted that Apple had paid its full amount of tax and no state aid was provided.

"It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment,'' said Irish finance minister, Michael Noonan. "Apple has been in Ireland since the 1980s and employs thousands of people in Cork.''

"It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment."

Apple likewise claimed that it had followed the law and paid every cent of what it owed.

Both Apple and the Irish government said they would challenge the EU action in the European courts, and predicted it would be vindicated.

Apple shares were down 0.6 per cent in New York, a modest drop that reflects expectations that Apple can afford the settlement, should it stand. Apple made $10.5 billion in the first three months this year alone.

Ruling highlights issue of fairly taxing multinationals

The EU ruling raises the difficult question of how to fairly tax multinationals — in their home country, where the bulk of their goods are developed, or in the countries where the goods are sold.

Currently, the setup allows Apple to record all its sales across the EU's 28 nations and 500 million consumers in Ireland.

That internal company practice, as well as two favourable Irish tax rulings in 1991 and 2007, "enabled Apple to avoid taxation on almost all profits generated by the sale of Apple products in the entire EU single market,'' according to the European Commission.

The EU's campaign against tax avoidance is meant to create a fairer society by having companies contribute taxes to the countries they operate in. Its critics argue that its latest ruling in fact tramples on the sovereignty of a country and its elected government.

Apple accused the EU executive body of engaging in efforts "to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process.''

In a statement, it also claimed the ruling "will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe.''

Some analysts say that with the EU reeling from Britain's decision to leave, the last thing it needs is more uncertainty for businesses. Supporters say the ruling is a step forward in harmonizing tax laws between EU countries — rather than have them race to the bottom — and taking action across borders in a way that the EU was meant to do.

Either way, the EU's bold move risks fuelling tensions with the U.S., which complains that it is singling out American companies. Also, because U.S. companies get U.S. credits for tax they pay in other countries, the EU ruling could reduce the amount of money the U.S. government can get from Apple.

Apple has over US$200 billion stashed outside U.S.

As of June, Apple had over $200 billion stashed outside the U.S. in countries like Ireland. The U.S. government cannot tax any of that money unless it is repatriated.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it was disappointed by the EU's decision, saying retroactive tax assessments by the EU Commission "are unfair, contrary to well-established legal principles and call into question the tax rules'' of the individual countries in the EU.

What's more, the U.S. government agency warned that the ruling "could threaten to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe and the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU.''

Peter Vale, a Dublin-based corporate tax expert for the accounting firm Grant Thornton, calculated that the ruling, if upheld, could ultimately cost Apple 19 billion euros ($21 billion) because the EU order also includes interest.

The EU decision will require the Irish tax collection agency demand a payment soon from Apple, Vale said. Any money will be placed in a hands-off escrow account pending what could be years of litigation before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, he said.

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Han Liqun (L), HR manager of RenRen Credit Management Co., and IT engineer Xiang Siyang sleep on camp beds at the office after finishing work early morning, in Beijing, China, April 27, 2016.

Zhang Huichao, a programmer at N-Wei (Beijing) Technology Company Limited, chats with his colleague Yan Xiaolong before he goes to sleep, in the living room of an apartment which their company rents as office and employees' dormitory, in Beijing, China, April 22, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.

Cui Meng, a Co-founder of Goopal Group, takes a nap in his seat after lunch, in Beijing, China, April 21, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.

Han Liqun (C), a HR manager of RenRen Credit Management Co., drinks with his colleagues Kou Meng (L) and Ma Zhenguo after finishing work, after midnight, in Beijing, China, April 27, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.

Wu Yaxiong (2nd L), CEO of N-Wei (Beijing) Technology Company Limited, stands with his programmers in an apartment which he rents as office and employees' dormitory, in Beijing, China, April 22, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.

Wu Yaxiong (R), CEO of N-Wei (Beijing) Technology Company Limited, fetches water at a kitchen at an apartment that he rents as an office and employees' dormitory, in Beijing, China, April 22, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.

An employee stands outside an office of an online sales company at night at Galaxy Soho, in Beijing, China, April 18, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.

Zhang Kun, an employee at BaishanCloud, practices Yoga before lunch at the office in Beijing, China, April 26, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.

Du Xianchang, a R&D engineer at BaishanCloud, climbs up a ladder as he goes to bed in an individual sleeping quarter in the office after finishing work at midnight, in Beijing, China, April 27, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.

Zhang Shuangjie, an IT engineer at BaishanCloud, drops the curtain as he prepares to sleep around midnight in an individual sleeping quarter, in the office, in Beijing, China, April 26, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.

Liu Zhanyu, a client manager at DouMiYouPin, washes his feet at the office's bathroom before going to sleep after finishing work at midnight, in Beijing, China, April 20, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.

Han Liqun, a HR manager of RenRen Credit Management Co., carries beer and food for his colleagues as he walks to the office after midnight, in Beijing, China, April 27, 2016. Office workers sleeping on the job is a common sight in China, where a surplus of cheap labour can lead to downtime at work. But in China's technology sector, where business is growing faster than many start-up firms can hire new staff, workers burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines and compete with their rivals. Some companies provide sleeping areas and beds for workers to rest during late nights.